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A word of advice to anyone looking to use archos. If you are not running a current computer or laptop you will have issues downloading the video to the computer. Archos uses an AVI format which most older computers won't run. You will need to download software to do so and if the customer doesn't have it they won't be able to view the video. My experience with the archos is its to complicated to easily use. This was using an archos 605, maybe the later version are better but if not you will have your handsfull. The archos is also not cheap, I am sure for the same money you can find a more user friendly option.

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There's no good reason to NEED to provide the video right afer you're done. You should have diagnosed and marked the problem area as part of the service. The video is only necessary for recordkeeping at that point and can come later.

While it's true that older computers may not have the cahones to run MPEG-4 (the format the ARCHOS records to) it doesn't matter - in over 10 years / 3K+ inspections I have NEVER run into an instance where I needed to provide the video at the site - I make DVDs at home in the evening and mail them back.

That way you can do it up right with a printed label & case (good for advertising) and not embarrass yourself at the job messing around trying to transfer the video to something the customer can use and perhaps never getting it to work.

MPEG-4 is a far easier format to edit than MPEG-2 (what DVD recorders use). Encoding it off-line allows the use of much better 2-pass VBR compression - that can't be done in real-time while doing the inspection.

In any case, if you don't have the proper software to play MPEG-4 video, it's a simple matter to dowload the free open-source Xvid codec that will do so.

My main gripe about the ARCHOS devices is that they spend too much time (erroneously) identifying the incoming video as copy-protected, which disallows playback on anything other than the device you recorded it on. I just keep an eye open for this and when I see it happen, stop and restart recording.

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Vance i have given dvds on the spot to the customers ( provided they have paid ) all the time. Maybe 20% of the time the dvd is not required and yes all the jobs are marked/ located etc. I dont understand why someone would stuff around with taking the work home with them when they can use a dvd pen/marker and be done with the job on the spot.
Maybe you have a differerent job to do but thats the way i do it and the customer seems ok with it.
Does anyone else do it this way?

There have been times when I was sure glad I had one to go back to, sometimes years later.

My situation is different than a service plumber's - I am not doing the inspection to sell some repair work. I have been called in to diagnose the problem and recommend a course of action. The client is then free to use whomever they wish to do the repair.

No conflict of interest (aka abusing info gathered by the camera to oversell unnecessary repairs) that way.

That's part of the reason I operate the way I do.

One other reason has to do with the fact that I cannot stand poor quality video. Transcoding it the way I do yields better results than recording direct to DVD. Not many people notice the difference, but I do.

And yet another reason: I get to review the video again on my PC and make sure nothing got missed or I need to discuss things further with the customer. Things can get hectic at the job and sometimes you don't have all the time you would like to look at things while you're there.

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My situation is different than a service plumber's - I am not doing the inspection to sell some repair work. I have been called in to diagnose the problem and recommend a course of action.

Nice dig. You know, I never have to SELL any repair work, I make plenty just doing the inspections. But I will say 95% of the time the customer requests that I do the repair work. You know, not all service plumbers are used car salesmen.

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Nice dig. You know, I never have to SELL any repair work, I make plenty just doing the inspections. But I will say 95% of the time the customer requests that I do the repair work. You know, not all service plumbers are used car salesmen.

you're right with your statement. i agree with you as i operate the same way

unfortunately i see the majority of companies that don't supply videos are out to sell a job that is typically not needed. we get hired and paid to run a camera. running a camera for free is never free with no strings attached.

i also do a large percentage of second opinion videos and what amazes me is that the customer never got a tape/ dvd from the first guy. even had some that got a bogus video.

the purpose of an inspection is to properly diagnose the problem. when a customer is sold a bill of goods by a complete stranger and expects the owner to throughly understand the workings of a sewer system by watching a monitor. is like going to the dr. and getting x-rays, but not actually developing the x-rays for the patient to see or take with them.

i always give a tape/or dvd when i finish. it's pretty much a simple task to hand them the finished product. if i need a copy for myself. i just make it as i go with another piggy back machine.

99% of sewers don't fail overnight. there is a track record to go along with the sewer. there is no reason to rush into anything right on the spot.
the times when i find the 1% is typically due to another utility co. damaging a perfectly good line.

when it comes to legal cases, it's different than a standard residential video. usually reports are needed and those are not traditionally generated at the time of service.

so i do agree a copy should be produced when finished for the residential and private sector, i also see that a more in depth report is required for the government jobs and legal work.

rick.

phoebe it is

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Didnt mean anything by that Vance and I would not assume that all us service plumbers are the same as a used car salesman.
Just did a job today in fact and saved the owner $$$$$$$
I did give him good advice and talked myself out of a profitable job regarding some stormwater drainage.
Thief no. Honest YES
Ps thanks for the reply.

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I've never used a SeeSnake or other similar diagnostic camera, though I do have plenty of experience with computers, multimedia, and data formats. The archos DVR-type device seems pretty handy, though overly expensive for what it seems many people using diagnostic cameras in a work setting are using them for. You could probably accomplish the same result of recording a live video stream to a digital storage format using a regular laptop, and a USB digital tuner card such as this one.

If you already have a laptop, all you would need is the $99 tuner. Hauppauge is arguably the best manufacturer of tuner cards right now, though there are probably cheaper alternatives that will do the same thing. As an added bonus or possibly drawback, hook in an antenna if you have down time during the day and you can watch local tv

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I've been using this http://www.aiptek.com/HDCamcorders/ pretty successfully. Has a cord that plugs into the din's on the ridgid unit. Kind of cheesy, but it hasn't broken yet. It's also a digital camera. The worst issue with it is that if you are in a line with a belly so that it holds water, the thing has a hissy fit and stops recording as you move through the water and you have to pay attention and start it again. Also I get a slight audio feeback whine, and the audio is pretty quiet. Not a perfect solution by any means, but for $170 from wal-mart it does the job after a fashion.

This is my reminder to myself that no good will ever come from discussing politics or religion with anyone, ever.

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Never, EVER meant to imply that any of you are dishonest. We are all top-notch here and would never consider such a thing.

But like Rick, I have had my share of "second opinion" calls. Usually connected with an "inspection is free if we get the repair work" situation. When the repair comes in unreasonably high, people SHOULD look around and often do. I am amazed at the excuses that are given - the most common one is "the tape got lost" when somebody wants to pay to get a copy to show to a different contractor.

Many years ago, I got called on a sewer odor issue at a small 2-story condo. Large franchise plumbing contractor had ripped out all the kitchen cabinets and replaced a bunch of sewer and hadn't solved the problem. Wanted to replace ALL of it ($25,000) in the entire unit.

Problem turned out to be a package of frozen chicken that the homeowner's daughter had thawed in the microwave and forgotten.